Active Community: Message List

Re: Beginner - how far is far? what is hilly?

TimeOut1 — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:09:46 GMT

I am a beginner as well and have had my bike for about three months now. I too was a runner (still am) and also lifted and worked out quite a bit before starting cycling. So far, it has been a great experience and I'm hooked. My combined cycling and running miles are about 100 miles per week and growing. I bike one day and then run the other day. I will usually get to the gym 2-3 times per week.

The first thing I did when I got my bike was to get used to the bike technically; how to clip in and out, how and when to shift, how to descend and corner, the rules of the road (I learned this the hard way by getting a $160 ticket for blowing through a stop sign in a deserted town). how to change a tire, and most importantly my form. It took a little while to get my form down so I felt like I was peddling efficiently in cirlcles. I also took a few spinning classes at my club, which helped a lot with my form and also taught me what it feels like to keep my cadence in the 85 to 90 range.

After getting the technical aspect down I approached the sport like I did for running and mixed up my workouts, with intervals, climbs, and endurance rides. For my endurance rides, I increased my mileage by 10% per week and am now up to 50 miles. To answer your question about how far is far, I started feeling like I was getting some distance in after 30 miles. Energy management is key to the long rides, make sure you have plenty of water and gu's to fuel up on. For climbing, I have two rides that are both about 20 miles and ascend to 1,200 feet. However, I have climbs on my long rides as well even though they are shorter. Climbing definitely gets easier and you will notice after a while how easy it will be to go up some hills that were previously a challenge.

Hope this helps!

Time Out

Sunglasses

TimeOut1 — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:46:27 GMT

Does anyone have any opinions or thoughts about sunglasses for cycling? I need to get a new pair of prescription sunglasses for riding and saw that Oakley had many of their styles and frames available for prescription. My current pair is just too dark and dangerous to use for riding. I'm also planning on using them for running as well, but I'm more concerned with making sure I have the right functionlity for cycling.

Thanks!

Time Out

Re: Training advice

TimeOut1 — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:05:43 GMT

First of all congratulations on the 50 pound weight loss! I have an identical cross training regime and have also lost a significant amount of weight. After 6 months I'm pretty close to a normal weight now (about 190 lbs and 6'),

Second, it is very normal to have days where you feel very sluggish and your legs feel like lead. On other days you may feel on top of the world and can go forever. I often get a "runners high" on these days and can't wait to get back out.

I agree on the other posts in regards to getting involved in some racing events no matter what your speed is. This will keep you motivated to keep running and it will provide some extra incentive to change up your training to get your times down. I have my first 10K coming up next Sunday and I'm hoping to get a time of 55 minutes, which is about 3 minutes faster than my best 10K training run. Not a very competitive time, but I'll be ecstatic if I break the 9 minute mile pace for the race.

Regards,

Time Out

Race/Training Advice

TimeOut1 — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:07:52 GMT

I just signed up for my first 10K race on 4/19. My training up to this point hasn't been focused on this distance and I wanted to poll the group for advice on the training during these last few days. Following are a few details.

My goal is to get my time below 9 minutes per mile for the 10K (currently run 5 miles at 45 minutes)
I usually run 3-4 times a week of 5-9 miles. On the weekend I'll do my longer run 7-9 miles and during the week I will usually run 5 miles with one day of running for speed (5 miles). My best time although slow is 45 minutes or a 9 minute pace. On the other days and my long runs I will try and keep my heart rate below 140 BPM. I am almost 44 years old.
On my off days I do quite a bit of cross training with weights (upper and lower body) and also do one day on the elipitical for about 30 minutes
My training regime for running until the race is:

4/1 - 7 miles easy (10:30 pace or slower)
4/3 - 7 miles intervals (any detail on the interval spacing would be helpful)
4/5 - 9 miles easy
4/7 - 10K fast
4/9 - 7 miles easy
4/11 - 7 miles interval
4/13 10K fast
4/15 10K easy
4/15 -4/18 rest
4/19 - race day

Any advice on the above schedule would be helpful. I';ve been running for about 6 months and still consider myself a novice.

Thanks,

TimeOut

Re: What Kind Of Shoes Are Best?

TimeOut1 — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:28:17 GMT

I agree with what has already been posted. My best advice is to find a local running store and speak with them about the best shoe for your gait, conditions, and training. Locally here in the Bay Area, I've been going to Arch Rival and Fleet Feet. They are much more knowledgeable than some of the larger chains such as Sports Mart. For me as a severe Pronanator, I've found the Brooks Addiction to be the best shoe. When I purchased my last pair the salesperson said that shoes don't last as long as they used to because materials have gotten lighter and more technical. I noticed a huge difference in shock absorbtion with the newer pair of the same shoe and I only had 300 miles on my old ones.

Hope this helps!

Re: I need some training advice....

TimeOut1 — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:28:41 GMT

Mr. Active, this is just a sign of your body getting fatigued and needing more oxygen. I would try and run at a slower pace especially during the first mile to get your body warmed up. Also, I've found that a HR monitor can help tremendously with your pacing to increase distance. If you keep your HR in a zone of 60 - 70% of your maximum heart rate (based on formula for your age) , you'll find a very comfortable pace that puts your body in an optimal state for burning fat for fuel, which is the most efficient way for your body to run long distances. It's a little weird at first because you need to get used to going much slower and will need to hold back from going faster. However, over time you will see your times get faster and your distances longer as your body gets used to this state. You'll also feel like you can go forever and a 5 mile jog will feel effortless. Once your times start to plateau you can start interval training and get your heart rate up for short periods toggling between different heart zones. The biggest plus to all of this is the less stress on your body helps avoid injury.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Time Out

Re: Jogging starting this week and I'm terrified

TimeOut1 — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:53:35 GMT

Hello TBJR,

Congratulations on your decision to start running!

I agree with all of the information from the other posts and espcially think it's important to have fun with it and to start small. I wanted to add a few tidbits that helped me: 1) Look into getting a jogging stroller to take your 2 year old with you - I used to take my kids with me quite a bit in the beginning and they really seemed to have a lot of fun; 2) Work in a hike - not sure where you live, but a nice vigorous hike of 2-3 miles with some hills was a great activity in the off days. 3) Always give yourself 48 hours rest between runs - most of the training programs will have this built in. 4) Look into Nike + - this is a chip that you put in your shoe or ipod Nano that tracks your distance, time, and pace. Like most people said don't worry about your times or distance, but as you get going it's a lot of fun to see your workout history and the improvement you've made.

Finally I would also highly recommend geting Jeff Galloway's Book of Running. His book has all sorts of training programs and great tips for just starting out.

Enjoy!

Time Out

Re: TimeOut1.....the fuel update I promised you

TimeOut1 — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:59:49 GMT

Hi Jacqueline,

Thanks for the update on the fuel sources. I too saw a boost from the Gu even though the taste was absolutiely miserable. I've decided that the only one that is remotely tolerable is the raspberry flavor. The only other problem I had with the Gu is that the wrapper is extremely sticky and since there were no availalable trash cans, I had to put it back in my pocket. What a mess! I actually liked the Cliff Bar shot blocks and had the orange flavored ones. I didn't notice as much of a boost, but it seemed to help nonetheless.

I completed 11 miles yesterday and was quite proud to have done so. However, I woke up this morning with a bad case of "Runner's Knee". I think I did way too much too early and am now paying the price. I noticed that it was hurting during one of my short 2 mile runs a few days ago, but it went away about halfway through my run. Then yesterday, I was going well for most of the run and then the pain started to come back right around the 9.5 mile mark. I continued to run thinking it would go away again, but no such luck. This morning it is very painful and I've decided that I'm not going to even think about running until the pain is gone. Hopefully I can get back out there next week. I've also decided to start a lower body strength routine as soon as I get back on my feet.

Thanks again for your feedback on the fuels and I'm glad to hear that your training is going well. Keep it up and remember to not bit off more than you can chew . Keep me posted on your progress.

Regards,

Time Out

Re: Self-indulgent post....1st double-digit run ever :)

TimeOut1 — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:23:58 GMT

Congratulations! I had a similar experience on Saturday and completed my first 10 mile run. I was only scheduled to run 9, but I felt so good that I decided to press on and make it an even 10. I too ended up having the banana flavored gel at about 5 miles and almost puked on the taste. Those things are nasty, but necessary. I must admit that I was pretty sore afterwards and had a hard time moving around due to the soreness. I had completed an 8.5 mile run the weekend before without any pain (except for my nipples). I have a 5 mile Turkey Trot on Thursday so I'm planning on having an easy 2 mile run today and then take the next 2 days off to fully recover for the race. I have yet to take a full 2 days off since I firsted started training about 10 weeks ago so the rest is needed.

Keep up the great work!

Re: Losing Weight?

TimeOut1 — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:19:09 GMT

Thanks everyone for your responses. Very encouraging and enjoyable to hear about everyone's success with the bulge.

I'm going to give it some time and watch it slowly come off. I do like my training schedule and most of all it's been a lot of fun with no injuries. I do feel awesome as well even though I'm sporting a fat suit while running . I've been avoiding to go on official diet other than just eating healthy. I went on the Atkins diet once and even though I lost a lot of weight, it came back quickly as soon as I went off.

Two things that I've found really helpful in getting started are: 1) Galloway's complete book on running - he stresses recovery time of 48 hours and taking things slow and easy to build up your foundation; and 2) Nike+ armband - For those of you that don't know, it's a chip that tracks your distance, pace, and time. I love seeing the progress when I log in new runs. It also helps me stay dilligent to my schedule.

Will keep everyone posted and thanks again for the responses.